Sermon 14th Sunday after Pentecost August 25 2024
Having been away this past week, I came across a blog written and produced by Caela Collins, ECCT’sDigital Storyteller, Caela titled her piece the Olympics and Religion. I asked her if I could share it as my sermon and use it to introduce Anna Engler and Ella Baez who will share their experieces at the 81st General Convention of the Episcoapl Church who were the youth delegates to convention from our diocese. Some of you may remember Caela visiting our church in 2023 at the Juneteenth celebration when she developed a blog on Juneteenth featuring our parish. I will read Caela’s recent blog exactly as she wrote it.
I don’t believe in coincidences. As a curious person with an insatiable hunger for random side quests and a love for spontaneous adventures, my mind-body connection is deeply in tune with impromptu micro-moments of joy. These micro-moments, called “glimmers,” are the antithesis of triggers. Glimmers ground your nervous system into a rest and digest state through feelings of peace, safety, and joy, whereas triggers prompt your body to enter a state of fight or flight, often through survival or trauma response.
As a child, I was always taught and told that God speaks to us, but no one ever explained how. I knew the Bible stories and miraculous love of God were ever-present, but for a long time, it felt like someone somewhere clicked the mute button. How could I know God is speaking to me when everything is silent? It’s unlikely that an angel will appear before me in aisle seven of the grocery store, proclaiming “Do not be afraid,” as the startled version of me drops a carton of eggs on the floor.
In the age of social media, it’s not ideal to stumble upon a burning bush on a neatly town-landscaped island crying out “Caela! Caela!” in the parking lot of Trader Joes. Next thing you know, I become a meme, or my verbal response becomes a viral reel & TikTok Soundbite, or I become an instant spectacle with a barrage of phone cameras pointed in my direction. But that’s where coincidences come in; they’re the subtleties I desperately needed to tune into God’s voice. Coincidences are those micro-moments when God decides to remain anonymous.
What seems to be among the hottest topics recently on social media were the Olympics, particularly how diversity is America’s greatest asset for medal-wins. A long time ago, an interviewer asked pre-college-grad me: If I were a brand, what brand would I be, and why? I answered, “The Olympics… because it brings people together from all around the world, showcasing different ethnicities, religions, and talents; I love the beauty of diversity and believe that our differences empower one another.” Post-college-grad Caela still feels that way, and speaking of hearing God’s voice in silence through divine coincidences, aka a glimmer, is the reason I spontaneously drafted this story.
Did you know there was a connection between the 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky, and the Olympics? The Olympics, simply put, are a celebration of human diversity, and if I had to sum up my experience of the 2024 General Convention, that was my exact experience. The Episcopal Church, as we know, is large, but as I physically stood in spaces where people from multiple continents congregated for God’s mission, I felt just how large the worldly presence of The Episcopal Church truly was.
If you’ve ever visited The Commons and seen my desk, which is difficult to miss, I have a creative barrage of art, quotes, trinkets, and stickers. As I sat here today, I couldn’t shake the thought of Muhammed Ali, who is from Louisville, Kentucky, and for whom the Olympics created a mini-documentary special. I then glanced over at my stickers, one saying, “Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous” and the other saying, “Blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.” Then, in the silence, I realized that it wasn’t a coincidence and that I needed to share this story of the Olympics and religion.
During my time at the 81st General Convention, I had the opportunity to visit the Muhammed Ali Center (Museum) and experience an unforgettable glimmer. This micro-moment of joy specifically overcame me when I entered the “Seeing the Other” exhibit. This exhibit was a collaboration between the Muhammed Ali Center and the “Portraits in Faith” project, which aims to unite individuals from diverse faiths and cultures. The “Portraits in Faith” project provided a space for individuals to view and interact with portraits through sacred listening and viewing, with the aim of fostering conversations about how humanity perceives one another. Ironically, this micro-moment did not allow me to rest because something subconsciously and spiritually ached to share this glimmer out loud.
When I walked into the exhibit, something beautiful resonated with my spirit as I scanned every black-and-white portrait. It’s not every day that you get an opportunity to have an exhibit all to yourself; in the silence, it was just me and a gallery of God’s masterpieces, humanity in all its diverse forms.
There were 500 people from 29 countries, as well as over 50 religions and spiritual groups. Every face had a story to tell, and every story was significant—pre-college grad Caela, who used the Olympics to represent herself, was savoring and soaking in this magnificent glimmer. Having said that, I’d like to pose the same questions that were posed to me as I exited the exhibit:
1. How well do you listen to others’ stories?
2. What can you do to dismantle your misperceptions of others?
3. How can you foster greater unity within humanity?
I agree with Caela about the power of the Olympics recently. What I loved most watching was athletes even though fierce competetors, who were supporting other players from other countries as they won or broke records. They were able to celebrate the achievements of their fellow athletes even if they lost.
We have been blest to have two of our youth represent the Episcopal Church in CT as the youth delegation. I’d like to ask them some questions to learn how this experience changed them, challenged them, or helped shape their thinking about God and the role of church in our day.
What was you find most interesting part of convention?
What was it like being with people from all over the world?
How was it meeting youth from other places?
What was the best moment for you?
What was the biggest disappointment for you?
What did you learn most?
What did you volunteer doing?